Indicator for tobacco-drying machines.



H. L. GREGORY. INDICATOR Foa ToAcco DRYIING MACHINES.

Patented May 28,1918.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. I. I9I6.

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I m E QV new Y all/whom; t mag/:concern: i

y HANsrzoRD I.. GREGORY, or sourir RICHMOND, VIRGINIA:

INDICATOR FOR" TUB.ACCJDIEYINGl MACHINES.

ApplicatoniledfAugust 1, 1916i SerialN'oi 112,5713.l

Beitknown tliatfLlrlANsronD L. Ginse- `oiir, afcitizeir ofi the United States;` lresiding at South .Richmond Ain they county. of lier -rico` andf; State ofi Virginia, have. invented certain new andluseful Improvements in Indicators for: Tobacco-Drying Machines;

andil doher'eby, declare the following.` to be aw; full,` clear,l and.l eXacti descriptioiibf the inivention; such:` as `willt enable f others 4skilled in,y theafart to /Whichfi it appertains to 1nak`e and use the same. 4

This invention relates to `an indicator which is-adapted-for attachment tofantobacco drying` machine, and the primary ob- ;Ject 4of theinventionwis-tof provide and indicator which will notify thelpacken at the `delivery end. ofvthe drier, of a Ecliangeinthe gradey of `tobacco passing through the drier,

.so that he may change the licgsheadsinto .whichw he is ingly. i 1 a Iii-tebacco;dryiiig machines, it is well mknownathat au plurality; of g dry y rooms, a `:cooling room,y :and orderingl rooms` are propacking` the tobacco, accordvidechfcr properly treating.- y the leaf and strip tobacco, and that for the eliicientiopi f eration: of the drier, itisnecessaryV to maintain a continuous'line. of tobacco` hands :or leaves therethroughr Often! during the treating of the tobacco, the man feeding the drier changes the gradeof tobacco, passing therethrough, andthe packer".` has no notice of this fact `until the different types ofi. tobacco leavei the drierat the packing end, which makes itexceedingly inconvenw ieiit to change the hogshead, so as to pack the different grades of tobacco in different liogsheads. 1 4

It is the object of this invention to provide an indicator, which includes a sprocket chain, gears for travel synchronously with` the travel of the tobacco `carrying chains which travel through the drier. The indicator chain has a plurality of detachable plates which carry characters indicating the various grades of tobacco, so that when the machine feeder starts a different grade of tobacco through the machine to the drier from the one which he has previously been feeding thereinto, he places on the indicator chain, one of the plates carrying a character representing the grade of tobacco entering the drier and this plate moves along with the indicator chain past an indicating board, synchronously with the movement of r rotation of the differentl `they tobacco `through the drier so that'. the

sp'eciauon of rettersrien'; patentdmyggngfg,

packer `can tell at\any-desiredftimei` theexact grades of tobacco passing through the drier.

With the foregoingkand other objectsin a view this invention consists in-i such novel `featuresof construction,` combination and arrangement ofparts as will beliereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and claimed;

In. .describingvthe invention in detailI reference will be had to theaccompanying .drawingwherein `likel characters designate like and corresponding parts throughout the. severald views, `and inir which :f-

Figurelis a view of an ordinary tobacco driershowing the invention-.applied thereto.

Fig. 2. is an enlarged view` of the indicator, and n y. a

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view through theindicator chains showingl onefof` the indicating` plates attached thereto.`

Referringmore particularlyto the draw-y ings, 1, designatesthe tobacco drier "as an entirety, which is. provided with. al plurality of separate rooms, as'indicated on thedrawing,y and as is ordinary in the construction of tobacco drying machines. The `tobacco isv carried throughI tliemachine by a sprocket chain'Q, which travels over suitable sprockofg upstanding..l ingersg carried thereby whichfengaoe the tobacco carryingibars (not shown).` Tlie sprocket 4, which is the drive sprocket fof. the. chain. V, 2 is operativelyu-` con- Vets 3 and.4 Tliechain` 2 has aaplurality The sprocket 11 is mounted upon a shaft a 14, upon which is mounted a second sprocket 15. A sprocket chain 16 travels about the sprocket 15 and about a sprocket 1,7 carried by a shaft 18. The chain 16, which forms the indicating chain of the indicator corre` sponds to the chain 2, and the relation between the sprockets 11 and 12 is such that the chain 16 will be moved synchronously :traveling through 'the various roomscorresponding to the spaces 2O upon the indicatwill Apass the various 'sections 20 of the indicating board 21 at the saine'time atwhich the corresponding part-of the chain V2,is

ing board 21.' n 'i' When theV operator orffeeder of the drier starts a new grade of. tobacco into the drying machine, he 'walks'down to the indicator i structure and iplaces'one of thev plates 19 in v vthe chain 16v at the rst space 20 of the indicating board 21 and this plate travels along lwiththe `chain 16 lat a 4corresponding rate of speed with the travel ofthe rst lot of the new gradel of tobacco through 'the drier so that the man Vat the delivering end of the drier, may'by comparison between the plates 19 and the space 20 tell lat anytime the exact position of theknew grade of tobacco-in the drier,which greatly facilitates the efficiency of the operator 'of the drier in that it Vis often necessary to regulate the heat inthe various compartments of the drier to properly treat different grades of tobacco. The provision of the plates 19 further gives the man at the delivery end Vrof the driersufiicient time to pack the grade of tobacco in his hogshead so as to leave a relatively small percent. ofy what is commerciallyl known as remnants of hogsheads.

Fromthe foregoing'description vtaken in connectionwith `the accompanying drawing, the advantages of construction and Vofthe method of operation of the improved indicator 'for tobacco drying machines will be to which ythis invention appertains, and

`while in the foregoing description, the prin- `cipleofv the' operation of this invention has heen described together with various features of construction, it Vis to be understood that certain minor'features vof construction, .g

combination and arrangement of parts may be altered to suit practical conditions provided such alterations are comprehended within the scope of whatl is claimed.

What is claimed is c 1. In an indicator for tobacco drying machines, a, stationary'indicating board graduated in accordance .with the rooms of a dry- 'ing machine, a sprocket chain composed of a plurality of connecting links, means for moving said sprocket chain'along said indicating boards, laterally extending projections formed upon -certain of said links,

-and grade indicating plates adapted for detachable connection with said projections and coacting with said indicating board during the travel of the chain ,alongl the board. d c

2. In an indicator for tobacco drying machines, a stationary indicating board graduated in accordance with the rooms of a drying machine, a sprocket chain composed of a plurality of links', means for moving said sprocket chain along said'indicating board, laterally extending "proj ections formed upon certain of said links vand provided with openings the walls of which converge," grade indicating plates, lugs formed upon the lower edges of said grade indicating plates and for connecting sprocket chain.

the ,indicating plates to the In testimony whereof I vaffix my signature y vinipresence of two witnesses. readily apparent to those skilled in the art f -HANSFORD L. GREGORY.'-

Witnesses:

"CLARENCE L. PAL,

JN0. T. WiILARD. ,y

' Copies of this patent may be obtainedy forV ivpre cents each, vby addressing the "Commissioner ci. Patents',

f Washington, D. G. 

